https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Offering Good Food and Good Income, Varanasi’s Didi Café is a Hit

To provide livelihood to women self-help groups, CDO, Varanasi, IAS officer Himanshu Nagpal, started the Didi Cafés Didi Café is a canteen in schools and colleges of the district where the SHG women provide nutritional food to the students Through the café, the women are getting monthly income of five to seven thousand rupees
Indian Masterminds Stories

IAS officer Himanshu Nagpal, who is the Chief Development Officer of Varanasi, came up with the idea of a cafe to be manned solely by the women of Self-Help Groups, and also to be named exclusively after them. And, thus, Didi Cafe came into existence, with the aim to provide livelihood and employment to the self-help group women of the district.

This initiative is especially for the women of the self-help group associated with the National Rural Livelihood Mission Varanasi. And they are now running canteens in the schools and colleges of the district under the name – ‘Didi Café’.

Speaking with Indian Masterminds, Mr. Nagpal shared details about the cafe initiative.

DIDI CAFÉ OPENS

Under the initiative, the administration has trained self-help group women to cook better nutritional food, which was earlier lacking in the schools. Although mid-day meals were available in the basic schools, inter-colleges and high schools had no provision where children could get any nutritional food. Hence, they used to go outside to have food.

“So, we have trained our SHG women on how to cook tasty and nutritional food and then opened up the ‘Didi Café within the school campuses, where we are providing nutritional food at a reasonable price to the children,” Mr. Nagpal said.

A MoU has been signed between the educational institutions and the self-help group, whereby the women would cook nutritional food for the educational institution. This would serve two purposes. The women’s income would go up and the school and college children would get nutritional diet daily.

“These self-help group women are getting good amount of money from a sustainable source now. In the regular canteens in government offices, the SHG women have to stay throughout the day. Whereas, the Didi café stays open only for 2-3 hours during the break time in the schools. So the rest of the time can be used for household chores and other works by the women,” Mr. Nagpal said.

In the cafe, food items are provided at reasonable prices which helps the students, while through these earnings, the women are being able to meet their household expenses comfortably as they are earning Rs. 200-250 daily and up to five to seven thousand a month.

HELPING BOTH STUDENTS AND WOMEN

Mr. Nagpal informed that they are getting a very positive response from the school authorities as well as the SHG women. However, initially, there were some apprehensions from the school authorities regarding getting outsiders inside the campus. So, the administration had to conduct several meetings and initiate dialogues between the SHGs and the schools to finally get the cafe plan approved. After that, MoUs were signed and the Didi Café was formally flagged off in October this year. These cafes are being opened not only in government schools and colleges, but also in private ones.

“Around 52 cafes have been started and our target is to open 100 cafes by the end of this year and cover all our inter and degree colleges with this initiative. Our end target is over 500 cafes. With every canteen, at least 3 SHG female would benefit and thousands of students would get nutritional food,” said Mr. Nagpal.

HOW THE NAME CAME ABOUT

About giving the name ‘Didi Café, Mr. Nagpal said that the SHG women are popularly known as ‘Didi” is also a catchy word, so they started the café with that name.

Not just nutritional food, the cafes also keeps stationary items, and there is a plan to add personal hygiene and menstrual hygiene products as well.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Sonpur Mela Fair
Bihar: ₹24.28 Crore Sanctioned to Modernize Sonpur Mela with Digital, Green Upgrades Under Swadesh Darshan 2.0
NCC Cadet
Historic NCC Expansion: 3 Lakh Cadets to Be Added; Minister Inaugurates Key Bhopal Conference, Calls for National Cooperation
BEML
PSU Push for Green Mobility: BEML Flags Off First Electric Vehicle Fleet, Commits to Diesel-Free Future
Census-of-India
Centre Appoints 4 Senior Officers as Census & Citizen Registration Directors Across States - Details Inside
Himachal_Pradesh_resized
HP: IFS Deep Shikha Sharma Appointed Director of Census Operations & Citizen Registration Until 2025 - Know More!
IPS Anurag Gupta
Salary Blocked, Service in Question: Jharkhand DGP Anurag Gupta at the Heart of IPS Retirement Dispute - Details Inside
Nikhil-Pavan-Kalyan-IAS
Odisha: IAS Nikhil Pavan Kalyan Appointed Director of Census Operations & Citizen Registration Till 2025
MP
Historic First: Madhya Pradesh Cabinet to Meet in 137-Year-Old Pachmarhi Raj Bhavan, Pays Tribute to Tribal Hero
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Monika Singh
Monika Singh’s Life Beyond the Bureaucracy | Video Interview 
IAS Tushar G Nikhare
Modernising Governance: A Digital Transformation in Gangtok
IMG-20250523-WA0036
Abhishek Singh's SECRET: Vipassana, Anthropology & Smart Answer Writing | Video Interview 
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
ANUBHAV SINGH UPSC IFS 2024
9 Years, 8 Attempts, 7 Failures: How Anubhav Singh Cracked UPSC IFS 2024 with AIR 3 Against All Odds | Exclusive
Anubhav Singh’s inspiring journey to UPSC IFS Rank 3 showcases relentless perseverance, strategic preparation,...
Jogender Sihag
“I Cleared UPSC, But My Grandfather isn’t Here to Hear it,” Jogender Sihag, AIR 521, UPSC CSE 2024
"Life is short; make the most of it, whether in civil service or any other field. Just have a clear vision...
WhatsApp Image 2025-05-28 at 18.56
Didn’t Clear UPSC But Found Something Greater: A Story That Will Change How You See Success
She left a top finance job for UPSC, did not clear but built a thriving wellness brand instead. Veda's...
Social Media
shubham kumar ias marriage
IAS Topper Weds BPSC Topper: Shubham Kumar Marries IRS Officer Priyangi Mehta in Patna; Wedding Video Goes Viral
Topper Couple Alert: Shubham Kumar, Priyangi Mehta’s Wedding Grabs Spotlight in Bihar
parveen kaswan elephant
Elephant Outsmarts Electric Fence! IFS Parveen Kaswan Shares Incredible Video!
In the now-viral 51-second clip, the intelligent giant approaches a wooden pole supporting high-voltage...
UPSC Latest IAS IPS IFS
UPSC CSE Prelims 2025 Tomorrow: ICLS Officer Altap Shaikh Shares Last-Minute Motivation for Aspirants
His five-post thread offers encouragement, practical advice, and emotional support - not just for those...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Sonpur Mela Fair
Bihar: ₹24.28 Crore Sanctioned to Modernize Sonpur Mela with Digital, Green Upgrades Under Swadesh Darshan 2.0
NCC Cadet
Historic NCC Expansion: 3 Lakh Cadets to Be Added; Minister Inaugurates Key Bhopal Conference, Calls for National Cooperation
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Monika Singh
IAS Tushar G Nikhare
IMG-20250523-WA0036
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT